A lifestyle blog focused on being healthy and celebrating beauty at all sizes

Not Your Typical New Year’s Resolution

I typically do not make New Year’s Resolutions because I believe I am setting myself up for failure…but I thought to myself why not give it a try?

Instead of making the typical “be healthy, lose weight” resolution, I have decided that I would spend 2016 expressing more gratitude.

Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

To explain why I have decided to focus on gratitude, I must first start with explaining how 2015 went for me. 2015 was a year of many firsts for me. To name a few:

I had to help put my family’s 15 year old dog, Rocko, to sleep.

My grandmother passed away.

I lived in my very first apartment by MYSELF.

I got a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (weight loss surgery).

One thing I noticed throughout all of these curve balls is that I remained strong and possessed the ability to go about my daily life without too much strife. But why? I know I am not rambo. But then I realized that the answer is simple….my family and friends.

In 2015, I have been lucky enough to have such an amazing support group. From my mother holding my hand while we put Rocko to sleep or adjusting her delicious Puerto Rican recipes to fit my dietary needs, to my boyfriend Chris sleeping in the hospital my entire stay to take care of me, to my father going on daily walks with me to help release gas pain after the surgery, to my sister giving me my daily shots, to my friends helping me move in my new apartment, to my coworker Amy taking me under her wing, and so on, I would not have survived 2015 without those that continue to be there for me on the regular. More specifically, this support group shows up for me when I need them the most even when the timing is inconvenient for them. For that, I am thankful.

As a result, I plan to spend 2016 expressing gratitude to those that have helped me in 2015 and to those that will help me in 2016 because I am not me without the support of loved ones.

I am a strong believer that a little recognition and thanks goes a long way. It can enable individuals to feel valued on all levels and expressions of gratitude can help nurture appreciation in a relationship by both parties. So, I encourage all of you to express more gratitude in 2016.